This column will be tough for me to write because after 20 years of being in marketing something happened to me that changed the way I see our industry It gave me new insight into situations that women face every day Ive heard them talk about it but I didnt understand it until it happened to me I got mansplained Merriam-Webster defines it like this When a man talks condescendingly to someone especially a woman about something he has incomplete knowledge of with the mistaken assumption that he knows more about it than the person hes talking to does Stick with me while I explain what happened and why it made me rethink marketing How it happened Ive been looking for a service to transcribe calls and online meetings so I can listen more intently to what my clients and co-workers are saying instead of trying to take notes and multitask I signed up with one service for a trial A few days later I got the expected follow-up email saying Thanks for signing up if youd like to learn more Id love to give you a demo As an entrepreneur and tech-industry investor for years Im always open to the opportunity to talk with a company about their business and their tech in this space what their challenges and struggles are and how they market their services So I scheduled a time The account exec and I chatted briefly via email about my company and service requirements So far so good Then I got the email that shook my world Heres what he said I see youre the co-founder of your org You also might be looking to test this tool to maybe roll out to others on your team Thats awesome and youre obviously one of the top main decision makers but just to be candid youre better off delegating the testing validating aspect to someone else on your team Ive been working with CEOs Founders of many different orgs for months and 90 of them are too busy and dont have the bandwidth to incorporate a new piece of tech into their routine yet Brand does need a ramp up time to learn about ones business Brand is not a silver bullet out the gate therefore please let others do the testing validating Youre definitely the right level but not the right one to do the testing Emphasis is mine My reaction How dare you tell me what my business is and what my skill level should dictate Now I have seen some bad sales emails in my time My inbox is full of them And I dont have the patience for people who dont take the time to communicate well So I fired off a reply This is probably the worst email asking for other members to be involved in the process I could think of a few hundred ways to say hey do you want to have your tech guys on the call to discuss with them also I will decline the meeting and move on to another technology partner The awakening After I settled down I told a friend what happened The first words out of her mouth You just got mansplained Yes Yes I was mansplained And suddenly I understood how insulting and how crass that can be how frustrating for anyone especially women who get this all the time At that moment I began to see marketing differently Maybe youre chuckling too A man mansplaining another man Yep it happened And what I hope you take away from this incident and my reaction is that you open your eyes to how you communicate with your customers coworkers peers vendors clients and prospects 3 ways to overcome bias in marketing We need to think seriously about imagery messaging and team roles and responsibilities to change the conversation and not inadvertently offend or belittle the people we work with Here are three ways to start that process 1 Review the images you use in your marketing collateral and other materials Shortly after this experience I put together a presentation on a marketing approach for different personas within the dental industry I had pictures to illustrate job roles such as dentists hygienists nurses receptionists and technology staff Then I saw what I had done I had chosen photos of a male dentist a female hygienist and a female receptionist Why did the dentist have to be male and the hygienist female My own dental office has female dentists But I subconsciously perpetuated the stereotype Look at your sales collateral and marketing emails Review your personas copy examples and artwork See how you communicate to your customers and coworkers with imagery that perpetuates gender stereotypes 2 Audit the language and content your salespeople use with prospective customers for potentially offensive language and concepts Whether you participate in or lead your companys marketing team your role is to control how your brands voice message and equity is communicated by your workers In B2B your salespeople and your marketing collateral presentations printed slicks email and web content are the primary drivers that shape your brand In B2C it happens through your messaging via email your website social media texting and other channels as well as personal interactions in stores and other physical locations When was the last time you audited what your salespeople are saying Have you looked for potential mansplaining in the language you use to describe your product mix Do you over-explain your value proposition because of gender bias How often do you look at what your salespeople say to prospects or your copywriters are writing in white papers marketing collateral and other customer-facing content Speaking of which heres a follow-up on my communication with the transcription-company account exec About 20 minutes after I sent my reply I got an email that was contrite and apologetic Did I end up agreeing to a demo after all No Because I suspected he tried to spin this as a funny story to his boss and the boss said You blew it 3 Examine the roles and responsibilities of your marketing team I have been lucky enough in my career to work with phenomenal women In the last ten years more than 75 of my team members have been women But I also know companies that relegate women to stereotypical jobs If men lead the group more often women are assigned to positions based on gender If were going to change the corporate landscape we have to expand opportunities for women We must look past gender bias in hiring and consideration of women for nontraditional roles What are you doing to create equal opportunities Have you checked yourself your practices and your communications Maybe you over-explain in some cases and under-explain in others such as in training new hires This goes beyond mansplaining which assumes that the man doing the over-explaining is talking to a woman who is either his professional equal or has even more knowledge and experience than him but its still relevant to my point A good leader wants the entire team to be as successful as possible and gives everyone the opportunity to do that Its not a question of women having to demand equality The male population must stand up and advocate for it In the rapid-fire evolution of our industry it doesnt matter whether youre in print digital or any other channel In marketing we are all moving too fast whether youre at the specialist level or the CEO Sometimes you need an eye-opening moment like the one I had with the transcription company to realize we need to change our perspectives Wrapping up While some might question or contest my experience and say it does not meet the technical definition of mansplaining dont discount my point Its all a communications problem that attempts to label someone as not good enough This approach while offensive is pervasive in our culture and forced me to review how I use marketing and how I interact with others My point is this Are you aligned with breaking gender stereotypes Or do you label or discount others because of their gender role or position And ultimately how does that unconscious bias affect your marketing Opinions expressed in this article are those of the guest author and not necessarily Marketing Land Staff authors are listed here If youre looking for a conference that will prep you to navigate concrete pain points in marketing operations and technology and organizational challenges you face daily MarTech is the place to be Join us September 16-18 2019 in Boston MA for best practices and relevant case studies from senior marketers Explore the possibilities at the intersection of marketing technology and management View rates and register now About The Author Ryan Phelan Ryan Phelan is co-founder of Origin Email and brings nearly two decades of worldwide online marketing and email experience Ryan is a respected thought leader and nationally distinguished speaker with a history of experience from Adestra Acxiom BlueHornet Sears Holdings Responsys and infoUSA In 2013 he was named one of the top 30 strategists in online marketing and is the Chairman Emeritus of the EEC Advisory Board Ryan also works with start-up companies as an advisor board member and investor